Rail-fastening



(No Model.)

T. W. PAY.

' RAIL FASTENING.

No. 485,097. Patented 0011.25, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THORNTON W. FAY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,097, dated October 25, 1892.

Application filed October 20, 1891. fierial No. 409.259. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THORNTON W. FAY, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Rail-Fastening, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in railfastenings; and the object of my iuvention is to produce a simple, eflicient, durable, and inexpensive rail fastening, which is adapted to hold the rails of a railroad'track so that they cannot possibly spread or move laterally, which holds them in such a manner that they cannot flatten under heavy pressure, which is adapted to form an efficient joint and do away with the usual fish-plates and bolts, and which may be also applied to the joints of movable switch-rails.

To this end my invention consists in a railfastening, the construction of which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan View of a railway-track provided with my improved rail-fastening. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the fastening. Fig. 3 is a view of a slightly-modified form of the fastening, having the clamping-ribs shaped to permit diverging rails to enter between them. Fig. 4 is a View showing the fastening adapted to receive a switchrail or a rail which curves from the main rail. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of a fastening and brace which are adapted to connect two movable switch-rails, and Fig. 6 is a broken sectional view showing the application of a rail to the fastening-plate shown in Fig. 5.

The fastening consists of a flat plate 10, which is preferably made of wrought-iron, but may be made of any material, and which is long enough to extend across a railwaytrack, the plate having perforations 11 to facilitate its attachment to a railroad-tie and having near its ends ways 12, which are produced between the ribs 13, and which are adapted to receive the flanges of the trackrails. These ribs 13 are struck up from the body of the plate and they are arranged in pairs, as shown, and the distance between the ribs of each pair is such that an ordinary railfiange will fit snugly between them. The perforations 11 are also produced in the Ways 12 between the ribs 13, so that the spikes, by means of which the rails are secured to the ties, may be driven through the perforations andinto the ties. The plates 10 are secured to the tops of the ties 14 and are adapted to receive the rails 15 in the manner described, and usually a fastening-plate is arranged at the ends of the rails and at a point near the middle of the rails, as shown in Fig. 1; but on a curve or in any place where there is great strain the number of fastening-plates may be increased. The abutting ends of the rails are placed a little distance apart, as shown at 16 in Fig. 1, so as to provide for the expansion and contraction of the rails under the usual changes of temperature.

I11 Fig. 3 the fastening-plate is like that described; but the ribs 13 at each end of the plate are placed at a slight angle to each other-that is, one rib curves outward and the other curves inwardso that they may receive the ends of converging rails, and the plate is perforated, as shown at 17, so that a movable rail may be pivoted between the ribs if necessary. In Fig. at the plate is shown with one straight rib 13 at each end, and the other rib is curved slightly to provide for the movement of an ordinary switch-rail.

As shown in Fig. 5, the modified form of the plate 10 is adapted to extend between two movable switch-rails, the plate having near each end a rib 13, which is adapted to press against the inner flange of a rail, and adjacent to each v rib is a curved slot 18, adapted to receive a bolt 18*, which extends downward through the flange of the switchrail 15, as shown in Fig. 6, and which thus permits a movement of the rail in relation to the plate. The outer ends of the plate 10 are pivoted to the outer flanges of the rails by means of bolts 19*, which project through perforations 19 in the plate, and the bolts 18 and 19 are both let into the bottom of the plate, so that the plate may slide smoothly over the ties which support it. It will be seen that the plate 10 will brace the two rails and that the slots 18 and bolts 18 will permit the rails to swingin different circles. It will be understood that the ribs which clasp the rail-flanges may be shaped to fit any kind of 13 on its upper side and corresponding grooves across its lower side, flat surfaces for the railbases being formed between each pair of ribs and provided with bolt or spike apertures 11 to align those in the rail-bases, substantially as set forth.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a rail-fastening comprising a plate having surface ribs near its ends, said ribs being placed at an angle with each other and adapted to clasp the flanges of the rails, substan tially as described.

THORNTON W. FAY.

Witnesses:

J. A. ALL-WEIN, W. J. FOLEY. 

